Journal of an insane druid
by Red-eyed demon
Summary: You think that living in a game wouldn't be sao bad? What if everyone else you cared about was in danger becuase of it? My first fanfic. R&R, plz
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo 2 or the character classes in it. This is here for the very specific reason that I do not get sued. Thank you.  
Journal of an insane Druid  
  
This is a journal of my story. It started a few weeks ago; back during the first days of summer. I was getting back into this game called "Diablo 2". It was an RPG (Role Playing Game for those who don't speak gamer), and a classic. My favorite character was the druid, a person who commanded nature in different forms. He could summon animals to fight for him, project elemental blasts, and change his body into two different forms. In short, he was well suited for any situation.  
But, I digress. This journal is a story of my suffering due to this game. Hell, my life is nothing but suffering and pain. Recently, I was trying to get this girl, named Erika, to be my girlfriend. Her friends had come to me saying that I should go to someone else. Erika wasn't in love with me in the way I loved her.  
So, to escape from the pain in my heart, I went into this game. It became my hobby, my obsession, and soon, it became my reality. I had no friends in particular, with the exception of Joe Conner. He was always helping me, talking me through problems, etc. He also liked the game, but very rarely got to play.  
I digress once again. Better get used to it. I always have a lot of things on my mind. Anyway, my torture began on a seemingly normal day. I was playing with my druid, named Cloudyous. I was cutting down the demons of Diablo, the lord of terror, like they were made of paper. I was in werewolf form, one of the two forms the Druid could transform into, and, because of this, my druid was empowered with reinforced reflexes and speed. The other was the werebear, which allowed Cloudyous to move like a tank on legs but with more power. I used both whenever need be.  
Things were perfect. I was gaining experience, and shedding blood. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my skull. The world around me was twisting and reshaping itself. At first, I thought I had overdosed on root beer and Doritos, but I soon found out that things had become much more serious.  
Then, I blacked out. I had no idea how long I was unconscious, but when I woke up, things had changed for the worse in every possible way. As I opened my eyes, I saw that I was outside, lying on some grass. I sat up, and looked around. I was next to a bonfire, and was wearing armor. On my back, I found a long sword, and a helmet covered my free flowing hair. I took it off, and noted that the top of the helm was decorated like a wolf's head.  
As I said, things were strange. The sword, the helm, and the armor all belonged to my druid. I know you're thinking of me as crazy, and doubt my honesty. Well, get used to it. There are far more strange things in my tale.  
Someone came up behind me, and said," Greetings, Druid. Taking a nap on nature?"  
I got up, placing my wolf helm back on my head, and asked," And who might you be?"  
"My name is Warriv. I am a merchant traveling east. No doubt you've heard about the fall of Tristram, changing subjects if you don't mind. Some say that Diablo, the lord of terror walks the world again."  
"Hold on just a second," I said, holding up one hand," I have no idea where I am right now, but I do know that this Diablo guy is nothing but a digital character in a game. Quit fucking with my head."  
"A game, my friend? Perhaps you've hit your head harder than I thought when you tripped. I don't know if Diablo is real or not, though, but a dark wanderer passed this way recently. He was heading east to the mountain pass guarded by the rogue monastery. Maybe it's nothing, but evil seems to have trailed in his wake. You see, shortly after the wanderer passed through, the gates to the east were closed, and strange creatures began wandering the countryside. Until the gates are reopened and the way is clear, I'll remain here with my caravan. I hope to pass here before the shadow that fell over Tristram consumes us all. If you're still alive then, I'll take you along. You should talk to Akara too. She seems to be the leader of this camp. Maybe she can tell you more" I rubbed my head, feeling a bump. Maybe I was delusional, but I certainly wasn't going to get any useful information out of Warriv. So, I spun on my heel, and began to look for this Akara person. 


	2. My first kill

I got around to writing the second part of this fic. So, enjoy it and review. or else. I know where you live.  
  
I wandered around the camp for about half an hour. I met a few people, including the kind and innocent blacksmith, Charsi, a merchant of questionable character, Gheed, and a fiery commander of the camp's archer, Kashya. I had yet to find this Akara person, and was becoming quite irritated with the whole situation.  
As I wandered around blindly, I bumped into a small old women wrapped in a purple cloak.  
I said to her," Sorry about that. You okay? I'm looking for a person called Akara. Do you know of her?"  
"Aye. I am she"  
"Good. Maybe you can give me some answers. I know for a fact that I'm not supposed to be here. I want to get back to my own world. People tell me that you are a priestess. Perhaps you can help me?"  
Akara held up a hand to stop me, and said, in a kind yet frail voice," I have foreseen your plight. Your name is Greg, is it not?"  
"How do you know that?"  
"The sightless eye speaks to those who listen. I know that you live in a place called Morgantown, yes? You are also correct in your assumption that you should not be here. The forces of the prime evils have drawn you here. Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal know that you and all of your kind are a threat to them. They are trying to kill you all one by one, but, somehow, you, or a projection of you, already existed in this realm. Thus, you inherited all of his, or her, strengths when you traversed from your world to this"  
"That's all fine and dandy, but how do I get back?"  
"That, I do not know. Perhaps an Archangel by the name of Tyreal can help you"  
"Where can I find such a person?"  
"Tyreal works for the good of the common man. When he sees that you are the savior of man, I am sure he will reveal himself to you"  
"What do you suggest I do?"  
"Our monastery has been overthrown by the evil demoness, Andariel. If you help us, Tyreal may help you"  
"Okay. Kill Andariel, and liberate your monastery. Anything else?"  
"Yes. There is a cave nearby that is filled shadowy creatures and horrors from beyond the grave. I fear that they are massing for an attack against our encampment. If you are sincere about helping us, find the dark labyrinth and destroy the foul creatures within."  
"Well, I'll be off then"  
"Wait one more moment, Greg the Druid. I sense that the prime evils will use those that you love against you. They may not have an avatar in this world as you do, and will be quickly subdued. You must find them quickly."  
"Everyone?"  
"Yes. I believe that someone very close to your heart has been trapped here. You must go to her. May the great eye watch over you"  
Akara had told me all that I needed to know. Joe, my Dad, even Erika could be here. They could be under attack at that very moment. Diablo had done one thing that ensured his demise; he had really pissed me off.  
I exited the camp, took my sword off my back, and propped it up on my shoulder. It was kind of heavy, but I could still use it with relative ease. I began to think on how I could stand a chance against the prime evil. I mean, on my computer, I had the Jamella character-editing program. I could make my characters invincible if I wanted, just like I did with Cloudyous. However, I had no idea if it still worked with me. This was no longer a mere game. This was my reality now.  
I was jarred from my thoughts when heard a growling noise next to me. I looked down to see a very odd looking creature that resembled a porcupine. I knew, from my experience in the game that this was a minor demon known as a quill rat. Its quills stood on end for a moment, and, with one smooth motion from the rat, it sent a swarm of razor sharp needles at me.  
I dodged most of them, the remainder reflecting off my armor. I grasped my sword with two hands, and, with a blood-curdling shriek, slammed into the offending rat. It struggled for a moment, but then fell limp. For some reason, I kind of liked doing that.  
I propped my sword on my shoulder once again, and proceeded on my way. I kept a keen watch on my surroundings as I went so I wouldn't have to relive walking into a Quill rat.  
About fifteen minutes into my trek, I noticed several red demons, known as Fallen, attacking a house. This was most odd as Fallen only thirsted for shiny objects and human blood. From the looks of this house, it had neither.  
Then, I heard a familiar voice scream in utter terror," For the love of god someone help me!" I knew this voice as precious as the sun over the sky. It was Erika, and if I didn't do something right then and there, the Fallen were going to kill her.  
There were too many of them to combat directly, so I decided to try something. I focused all of my spiritual power in front of me, and released in a scream of help to nature. For a moment or so, nothing happened, but then a raven landed on my shoulder. Then, a white wolf bounded toward me from out of nowhere. I thought it was going to attack me, but, instead, pressed up against me in embrace. Now, I had some help. I ran at the demons, and, with a battle cry and a swing of my sword, killed one dead. The others looked at me, and started yelling something in that insane language of theirs. I paid no attention, though, and nailed another one right through the chest. The wolf I had summoned leapt at a Fallen, and, in mid-air, tore it throat out in its jaws. The raven was busy pecking at another demon's eyes. I ran at it while it was still distracted, and smoothly sliced its head off. The others took this opportunity to run. I propped my sword up in the ground while I checked my animal friends for injury. The wolf suffered form nothing but needing a bath to wash its fur clean of blood, and my raven was fine, if not a little hungry.  
I walked to the house, and tried to open the door. However, I found that Erika had locked to door. I put my sword down, concentrated spirit power in my fist, and issued a flaming punch into the badly beaten door.  
Against my fiery onslaught, the door fell like a sack of potatoes, forgive my ye olde metaphor. I found her backing away from me to a corner of the room.  
I said," Ding. Fifth floor. Sporting goods, swords, weapons, rescues" she looked at me like I was totally nuts. "What? You didn't think that was funny?"  
"Well, at least you not one of those things. But, who are you?"  
"Don't you recognize me? Well, probably not with this damn wolf helm. Gimme a minute" I pried the helmet off my head, and let my hair flop down into its original position. For those of you who are kind of oblivious, I have semi-long hair that curls up all the time. "I'm Greg, from school. Remember now?"  
She smiled, and said," Yeah. I remember that you always trying to date me"  
"About that." I started to ask.  
"I said I'd think about it"  
"Damn."  
"Where are we? I was just reading a book and fell asleep, and then I was lying in a field with those things prodding me"  
"Those things are called Fallen. They were probably attracted to your jewelry. They like shiny things and. uh."  
"And what?"  
"Human blood"  
"That's gross"  
"Lucky for you they aren't too strong. Come on, I know a place where you'll be safe," I said leading her out of the destroyed house. Instantly, my wolf barked at her, and bared its teeth. She jumped out of her skin, and ran back inside. I kneeled down next to my wolf, smacked its nose, and said a few words to it in its language that meant to back off, but could not possibly be translated into English. "Erika, come on out! I got him on a leash now, so to speak" She poked her head out, and, seeing that I had my wolf by the folds of the back of its neck, came over to me. "This is my wolf. I called for him to kill those Fallen. You can pet him if you want"  
She reached out slowly, and smoothed his hair back. At this, he stopped growling, and became semi-trusting.  
"Nice dog," she said," Now, where is this place you want to take me?"  
"It's the rogue encampment. Ninety five percent of everyone there is female, so I think you won't be short on people to talk to." She merely nodded her head, and we were off. I kept quiet, as even talking to Erika made me sweat a bit. My wolf, which I had named Chisato, followed us. Also, the raven I had called for flew overhead, keeping an eye out for danger.  
Suddenly, I heard it caw out in warning. Before I was able to react, a small, four legged reptilian creature leapt at me, its claws bared, and, if it weren't for my wolf helm, my head would have cut clean off. However, it did daze me for a moment. Chisato growled, and bounded after it. I knew that this creature was called a leaper. It was strange though. I only encountered leapers in acts 2 and 4. It merely assumed that Diablo, or Mephisto, or Baal, or whatever other demented fuckhead demon was trying to kill me changed the game to keep me guessing.  
I watched the leaper land, and skid to a halt as it readied to leap at me again. I quickly channeled my spiritual power, and made the ground open up beneath it. The vents of steam from my fissure spell instantly burned it. Using this power, I confirmed that the Jamella program was not working but still had a previously placed effect.  
With the leaper dispatched, I flashed a grin at the corpse, effectively mocking its death. Again, I felt that strange sense of satisfaction. I really couldn't explain it, but I really liked it.  
Erika said to me," Okay. What. was that?"  
"Okay. To fill you in, this is supposed to be a game, but the three main enemies here don't obey the rules in our world or this one, and grabbed us, dragged us here, and are trying to kill us" She gave me that stare that just said," Are you nuts?"  
"That's crazy, and it still doesn't explain what that was"  
"In the game, I was a druid; a being that can control nature and summon animals. That was my fissure spell that opens the earth and burns my enemies with vents of steam. Does that explain everything? Any questions?"  
". . Right. Um, okay. So, why am I here?" This is the part I didn't want her to know. I would scare her, and I'd never get a chance with her if she knew that three badass demons were trying to kill her in order to get to me. So, I did what any guy would do: I lied.  
"I have no idea. Now, come on. It's getting dark, and, from what I know, the demons get stronger after dark," I said. I hated lying to her, but I didn't really have much of a choice. I merely wanted to protect her, so the knowledge that her life was on the line wasn't something she needed to know. She was the world to me, and I couldn't have her hanging around or I couldn't fight the way I wanted as most of my spells affected everything within a twelve-foot radius.  
At this point, you may ask, what was with this idiot's painful introduction? It sounded like his life was nothing but torture. Patience, my good reader. I will get to that later.  
So, after a short walk back to the rogue encampment, I left Erika in Kashya's care. Yes, definitely not one of my better choices, but she was the best archer I knew. With the knowledge that my only love was safe from whatever Diablo could throw at me, I set off, once again for the den of evil, my little nickname for the cave Akara had told me of earlier. 


	3. The den of evil

During this short trek, I discovered that I had unlocked more of Cloudyous's sword talents, and integrated them into my soul. I assumed this to be relative to my experience gained by killing monsters.  
Then, I found my target. It was nothing more than a massive hole in the ground surrounded by a rocky outcropping. Next to the hole was a staff, and on this was an unrolled scroll with the words," Abandon hope all ye who enter here" Now, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, now I remember. Famous demon's last words.  
Without any concern for myself or how I was getting out of the den of evil, I jumped in. I fell for about twenty feet before landing hard on rocky floor. If I weren't wearing armor, I probably would have broken something even before I met my first demon.  
I wandered blindly in the darkness, using my ears to navigate, before I came to a torch. Strangely though, it glowed with a bluish flame. I took it, and casted its light on the area in front of me. Instantly, I thought I was going to be sick. There before me laid a dead rogue with a spear through her chest. She looked like she had been dead for several weeks. Her skin was falling off in several places, and flies were buzzing all over her.  
I carefully stepped over her, trying to keep my lunch down. Then, I saw the same type of red demon that had tried to kill Erika earlier. It yelled something like," Rakinishu!" before I lowered my torch, and, quite mercilessly I might add, set it on fire with my torch. I laughed as it ran around in flames. This proved to be quite a bad mistake as the rest of his clan, which exceeded two hundred, came after me. This prompted only one line from me," Oh shit!" I unsheathed my blade, and spun around, slicing Fallen in half with every rotation.  
When I came to rest, I was quite dizzy, and over a hundred remained. They rushed me all at once, slashing at me with scimitars half the size of their bodies, cutting me open and making my life's blood escape my veins.  
I succeeded in getting away from them, thanks to Chisato. My wolf had lunged in during the middle of my battle, if you'd call it that, and started to fight as best as he could against such odds. I looked as though I had gone through hell. My armor was soaked in blood, and my helm was cracked in several places.  
A sharp yelp brought me to my senses. I looked back at the fallen horde, and saw Chisato being torn apart, literally by the fallen. This drove me over the edge, and gave me an idea.  
I yelled to them," You're all going to die! And my true form shall be the witness" I amplified my rage and hatred, allowing my emotions to run out of control, something I would never do in a normal situation. By combining these runaway emotions with spirit power, which I had recently learned went by the name of mana, I felt my form begin to crack and change. My face began to lengthen, my eyes became slanted, my legs became long and slim, and my arms underwent similar changes except my fingernails became claws. My hands were thereby unable to grasp my sword, which clattered to the ground. I had entered werewolf form, at last. It could be considered my true form, as it needed my rage in order for the transformation to take place.  
A fallen took a hesitant and unsure step backward to which I growled," No. There's no escape. You're mine" With that, I lunged into the horde, and slashed madly at them. I moved like greased lightning, belying the fact that I weighed over two hundred pounds. I lost my mind during this time, or so I think, as I don't remember anything after I transformed.  
What I do remember was after all the monsters were dead. I know this because I smelled decaying bodies in massive numbers in the cave. Then, I remembered; Chisato was still hurt!  
Still in my wolf form, I ran to where I last saw my beloved partner. He was still alive, miraculously, but was losing a lot of blood. There was no way I could get him back to the encampment in time.  
Then, I heard something, but, yet, at the same time, I didn't hear them," It was a great honor serving under you, great druid. I go now to be with the great spirit of nature. Farewell" Then, Chisato died. I felt wetness sliding down my fur-covered face. That was the only time I ever remembered crying.  
Later, I found a way out of the den of evil and back to the rogue encampment. Of course, Erika asked where Chisato was. What was I to tell her other than the truth? You see, I told you I would be getting to why I was so depressed. Chisato was the first thing Diablo took from me, but it wasn't going to be the last. 


	4. It is brightest just before the night

Weeks passed without event. Erika continued to avoid me. Who could blame her? I was the reason she was trapped here in the first place. I learned how to summon more than one wolf and raven at the same time, and had even unlocked how to call grizzly bears and transform into werebear form. Erika still hadn't seen my animalistic transformations, just to set the record strait. During my stay at the camp, I had rescued a man known as Deckard Cain. He was a wise man who had once resided in a town called Tristram. This town was where Diablo was slain and where he had risen again. Needless to say, there were many demons there.  
Many of you may be asking; how can he travel to Tristram when it's almost two hundred miles away. The answer was simple, but not what anyone would expect. I used a teleportation spell. There existed a tree known as Inifus with runes on its bark. These runes held the secret of the cairn stones, pillars of rock with enormous spiritual power. When the stones are touched in a specific order, they could create a magical portal to almost anywhere. In this case, it would be Tristram. However, when I found the tree of Inifus, getting the bark wasn't as easy as it sounded.  
There was an enormous Yeti there by the name of "Tree Head Wood Fist". He almost killed, but I used my werebear form on him, and he fell quite easily after that. Also, to set the record strait, this was the first time I used the werebear form.  
Now, I sit here writing in this accursed journal. I've seen Erika staring at me several times tonight already, but the second I want to close this up and talk to her, I lose my courage and she looks away at the same time. Many times I've been tempted to throw this goddamned thing into the bonfire, but something in me won't allow it. So, I'll keep on writing to keep a record of my pain. Well, it's time for bed. I'm going to be entering the monastery tomorrow to take on Andariel. It won't be an easy battle, but I know I can do it.  
I slashed mercilessly at the demons guarding the last gate to Andariel's throne room. They were walking dead, Fallen, or some sort of blackish colored Fallen I had never seen before. With a roar of utter fury, I tore a zombie to pieces under the weight of my sword. Three wolves, a sentient poisonous vine, and a conspiracy of ravens assisted me as I fought against the minions of the demon queen. It is surprising andariel is called the "Queen of demons" as she is only a lesser evil and shouldn't be very strong.  
The second I opened the doors to her throne room, I was proved wrong. Very wrong. A wave of poison hit me. It made my lungs burn and my armor rust away. Andariel was a blue skinned maiden about twenty feet tall with red hair that stood on end constantly. She wore very little; only a few chains to cover her top and a loincloth to make her decent in the eyes of hell spawn. I sank my sword into her right thigh after I recovered, but she merely smacked me across the room. She wasn't fazed at all.  
She screamed the words," Die, little human maggot!"  
I replied," Thanks. I'll pass" I channeled my power through the earth, and sent three small fireballs that traveled along the ground. If nothing else, that made her scream and throw out another 180-degree wave of poison. I crouched down and covered my mouth to avoid this wave. At this point, I was beginning to doubt my ability to win this fight. My sword was lodged in her hip, and I didn't have much in my magic reserves. One of my wolves lunged at her, but she merely smashed it through a wall and killed it instantly. Quickly, I searched my mind for anything else I could use against her for very little mana. Then, I remembered.  
I gathered a small piece of my remaining power, and sent a huge rolling ball of brimstone and fire at her. It smashed into Andariel, burning her badly before exploding. This gave me the opportunity that I needed. I ran at her, and snatched my sword out of her leg, making it as painful as possible for her.  
She screamed in rage more than anything else, and tried to slice my head off with her poisonous claws, but I nailed her hand, and cut it off. Then, I went for the throat, and slashed with all my might, which wasn't much, and succeeded in decapitating her. Her enormous body teetered for a moment, as though not knowing what to do, fell over and erupted into a huge column of fire. I noticed then that pieces of rock and debris were starting to fall on me. I quickly told my animals to find the quickest way out, and followed them, avoiding the falling mortar as the monastery collapsed on me.  
Yes, I know. That didn't happen in the game, but modern physics does change some things. And, yes, I made it out, and into the Tamoe highlands. And, since waypoints or town portals didn't exist in this version, it kind of sucked to be me.  
It took my several days of walking to get back to the encampment. Imagine my shock when I found that it was completely destroyed. I found all the rogues either dead or dying. The grizzly bear I had left in charge of guarding the place was covered in both its own and demons' blood. It was limping a bit, but was, nonetheless, happy to see me.  
I quickly went to the place Akara was once lived, and found that she was already dead. Charsi shared her fate. By now, I was asking myself, "What the hell hit this place?"  
Kashya, who laid before the central bonfire bleeding to death, told me," They came at by the hundreds. We tried to (cough, cough) hold them back, but there were far too many."  
"Is Erika alright? Tell me she's fine!"  
"I don't know, but I think. I saw several corrupted rogues carrying her off. I heard them say (she bled a little from the mouth) something about a 'chaos sanctuary'. Farewell, now, brave Druid. I may have misjudged you. You are a true hero, and a testament to the brave spirit that has inspired. Farewell. my friend. The only thing I regret was that we were not able to take our monastery back with out strength" Then, she breathed her last.  
So, to sum up, Diablo and his brothers screwed me over so bad and so hard that I didn't even know what hit me. He had really fucked my life up really fast, and had taken Erika to the Chaos Sanctuary, which, mind you, was in the deepest recesses of hell where Diablo resided. My life was going down the shitter really fast. 


	5. Over the vast mountains and into the des...

To my luck, Warriv, the only one I knew who knew the way over the mountains and into the east, had survived by hiding in a secret area of Charsi's smithy. By the way, smithy is another word for metal forgery for those who don't know. No offense intended. He thanked me for my skill and bravery, and offered to take me with him on his way to the east. I didn't refuse.  
Excuse for a moment if I use this journal for purposes other than recording my own abysmal life, and say this. Diablo will pay for each and every life he has taken from me. This I swear.  
Anyway, to avoid digression, I will move on. For weeks we traveled, over the freezing mountains that made me tighten my armor for a little more warmth, and then into the harsh deserts. This is the fourth week now, and I have been in a slow boil in my armor. I badly need a drink, and Warriv tells me that the port city of Lut Gholein is only half a day away. My wolves whine from the heat while my ravens swoop overhead in expectant vulture pattern, soaring higher on the thermals. I seriously wish they wouldn't circle over me like that though. I can't help but think of Erika and what Diablo could have done to her. Now, I'll only be able to sleep easy when she's safe. They call him the lord of terror? Too bad he's going to shaking in fear when I tear that absurd soulstone from his forehead, and slit his throat with it. I'm going to close out now, and take off my armor before I deep fry.  
I arrived in Lut Gholein only a short time ago. Warriv is still unloading his caravan, and making sales. He had changed clothes from a regular blue mountaineering outfit to a white desert heat resistant burka- like outfit. I have no idea what it's called.  
This guy walked up to me. He was wearing clothes similar to what Warriv had on, only they looked more distinguished.  
He said to me," Greetings, honored traveler. I am Jehryn, lord of Lut Gholein, and I bid you welcome to my fair port city. I wish I could welcome you under better circumstances though. For some time now, we have been under siege by an evil power I cannot identify. Strange, it all began when a dark wanderer cam this way, looking for the tomb of Tal Rasha. No one knows exactly where Tal Rasha, keeper of Baal is entombed, but it is certain to be far out in the desert. Now, I need to return to the palace. I apologize, but I can't invite you in. Things are. rather a mess right now" Jehryn spun on his heel, and started to walk, rather hurriedly back to the palace. What was wrong with him? Could things really be that messy at the palace? Or is it that I smelled really really bad?"  
Anyway, time for a drink. I searched around for a bit, and met some people including a shifty innkeeper, named Elzix, a potion master that was nearly deaf, Lysander, a former paladin turned armorer and healer, Fana, and the anxious captain of a ship, Meshif. All nice people to be sure, but a little too weird for my tastes.  
At last, I found the tavern and ordered a huge glass of root beer. All around me, people were laughing and talking. I had left my wolves outside to not arouse any suspicion. Druids weren't the most liked people in this world, so it seemed. When my drink came, I asked the tavern keeper, Atma, to fill three bowls with water and set them outside for my wolves.  
As I took a huge swing of my root beer, I felt my thirst flee like a fallen I just hit with my sword. Then I noticed that Atma, for some reason, had her face in her hands and was crying. I got up, and asked her what was the matter.  
She said to me," Oh, I'm sorry. I get that way when I'm oblivious to the world. I don't expect this of you, but if you want to help me, I would be grateful. In the sewers below our city, there lurks a horrid creature that hungers for human flesh. The creature has killed many. including my son and my husband. Please, be careful though. That monster has taken enough from us already"  
I placed a rough hand on her shoulder and said," I know what it's like to lose loved ones. I'm searching for someone as well. I would be glad to help you, Atma. And I'll bring you back the head of this demon. after I fill up on water, though" I walked back inside, my wolves following me, and finished up my root beer.  
I started out, but three huge men blocked my path. They said something like," You've got some kind of nerve coming here, nature boy" I simply glared at them and told them to move. "Your kind think that you own the place just `cause you can talk to those stupid animals of yours. Well, not in my town you don't" By now, I was thoroughly pissed, and told them to move or die. The speaker threw his fist at my face, which I easily sidestepped. Before he was able to pull his arm back, I grabbed his wrist, and, with the palm of my hand, popped his elbow out of alignment. Doing this is extremely painful to the victim, and takes some of the fight out of him. Then, his two buddies back off, and I was able to leave.  
I went up the street, and opened the trapdoors. A man who was standing nearby laughed at me.  
"What?" I asked him.  
"Oh nothing. I just pity that you would throw your life away like that"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You're thinking of going after Radament, aren't you?"  
"If that's the thing that killed Atma's family, then yes. I am"  
"You're throwing your life away, druid. That devil has more minions than you or any spirit of nature could ever hope to handle."  
"So, what do you suggest?"  
"Stay up here on the surface, and let that thing stay sealed down there in the sewers."  
"Not an option. I told Atma I'd help her, and I can't back out now"  
"Listen here, pal. I've personally found some of that monster's victims washed up out of the sewers. They're often missing an arm of a head, and their bodies have always been skinned. Do you honestly want to end up like that?"  
"I honestly don't care what could happen to me. I took down Andariel, the maiden of anguish. How much tougher can Radament be?"  
As I climbed down, I heard the man distinctly utter the words," Idiot" Behind me, three of my wolves and five ravens descended behind me. This may have been a bad idea, but my honor wouldn't allow me to abandon this quest now. Radament couldn't really be tougher than Andariel, could he?  
I descended deeper and deeper into the sewers, all the while getting the distinct feeling someone was watching me. On the second level down, I heard something, like the shuffling of feet, behind me. I whirled around to see about two dozen walking corpses coming at me. My wolves bared their teeth, and I unsheathed my sword. I rushed in at them in a frenzied rage, swinging my sword madly. With each strike, I took a limb off of an undead, but they didn't seem to mind. They just kept getting back up. Great, now I could kill them all day long. My wolves were engaged in their own battle. A group of skeletons were trying to flank us from the left, and they were trying to hold them at bay. I transformed into werewolf mode, and slashed at them again and again and again. They fell before me like a deck of cards, but, for some reason, they just kept getting back up. I tell you, it was really kind of creepy seeing a pair of legs walking at you with no torso.  
My wolves yelped, telling me that the second undead group was about to break through. I realized that we were losing this battle. In their own language, I told my wolves to run away, and that I had a plan. We led them down a series of rooms until we came to a narrow gateway. I resumed my normal form, and lied in wait. Within a matter of moments, we saw the undead coming closer. When they were in the right spot, I opened the earth, and fried them all with vents of steam. Yeah, that was awesome. Then, I stupidly walked backwards, and ran into something dry, but slimy at the same time. I whirled around to face a sixteen-foot tall mummy. It body was in wraps, but its face was canine-like, and had no flesh to speak of remaining. It was my guess that this was Radament.  
It really back, and belched out poison from its innards. I had enough sense to get out of the way, and make my own strike while it was off guard. Radament seemed to laugh at me as my sword cracked its skull. Then, it belted me across the hall. I coughed up a little blood, and struggled to my feet. I accidentally called forth a minion of nature, and a small, snake- like vine tunneled up through the ground. It looked around with blind eyes, and smelled a corpse. It went back to the area where I killed the undead, and did something disgusting. It ate the corpses. During this time, I felt my wounds start to close up. Somehow, this vine was linked to my own well- being. Being a druid was cool, but very strange indeed.  
However, all the while, Radament had been lumbering forward to take a huge bite out of me. I remember screaming in pain as it took damn near my entire shoulder, and swallowed it. Because of this, the cracks in its skull seemed to disappear.  
Instantly, my vine went to work, and started eating corpses to heal my shoulder. While this was going on, I reeled back with my good arm, and punched Radament square in the mouth. The punch by itself wouldn't do much, but with the fire energies I combined with it, Radament was very lucky he could still stand.  
He realigned his jaw, and sank back into the shadows. I would have gone after him, but a whole horde of zombies, whom I had just killed, started to get up again. My vine had eaten some of the corpses, and, thus reduced the number of zombies and lesser mummies coming after me again. But, even so, this did not look good.  
Quickly, I reached to the side of my belt, and a pulled out a poison gas potion, courtesy of Lysander, and hurled it into the pile of baddies. It shattered on contact with the ground, and released some sort of noxious green vapor, which the stupid bastards walked right through.  
True, they were dead, but they needed to breath to sustain their undead flesh. The vapor began to eat away at their lungs, making them through up disgusting green fluid as they walked. Some dropped dead, and others died on the spot.  
This seemed to get me on Radament's bad side. He, or rather it, lunged at me, and tried to suffocate me with poison again. This time, I wasn't exactly ready, and inhaled a nasty mouthful of greenish vapor. It burned my lungs, and made my eyes water. I coughed it out, along with a bit of my own blood. Radament grabbed me by the throat, and prepared to skin me alive with its clawed hand when one of my wolves dashed forward, and caught Radament's arm in its jaws. This gave me the opportunity I needed. I wiggled out of Radament's grasp, grabbed my sword, and slammed it right between his eyes.  
Needless to say, he didn't like that. I stabbed it in deeper, despite his protests, and tore his head clean off. His body crumpled to the floor, turning to dust on the way down. The mummies and zombies he had raised also fell over, dead for a second time, and, hopefully, forever.  
I surveyed the scene. My wolves were covered with the blood of their enemies and of themselves. I was also pretty badly fucked up. My armor had been pierced in several places, and showed that it had blocked several blows that would have killed me. Strange, ever since I was teleported into this realm, my near death experiences had gone up quite a bit. Coincidence? I think not. (For those of you who don't know. That was a joke)  
I noticed a large chest made of solid gold in Radament's main chamber. I hobbled over to it, and opened it. Immediately, a scroll flew out, and smacked me directly between the eyes. After cussing more than Richard Nixon did in his entire career, I picked it up and read it. Unfortunately, it was quite indecipherable, and this frustrated me to no end.  
Without my knowledge, my shoulder, which had been cut quite badly by Radament in the pervious battle, had been bleeding very badly. I felt myself going faint, and tried to stop the bleeding. But, it was like trying to stop a cannonball with a mosquito. I fell backward, and drifted into an unconscious state.  
I've just woken up in Elzix's inn, the desert rain, strangely enough. After I had been missing for a few hours, Griez, the man who had laughed at me before I went into the sewers, had taken several of his men and dragged me out. My shoulder was wrapped up, allowing me to heal up some. I got out of bed, and went downstairs. Elzix greeted me with a smile, despite the fact that he was missing an eye and a leg, and acknowledged the fact that I almost died.  
I said something like," I know, and it wasn't too pleasant. Now, do you know where Atma is? I need to talk to her"  
"At her tavern. It's just down the street" I thanked him, and went on my way. I was blinded by the bright desert sun, due to the fact that I had been in such a dark environment for so long, and had to squint. My wolf helmet shielded me somewhat, but not enough to make a serious difference. Confident with the knowledge that I had made a serious victory, I strode down the street to talk to Atma, and maybe Griez afterward.  
When I walked in, I was greeted by a hailstorm of cheers, whistles, and other noises. It was so loud that I was almost blown backward into the plaza behind me. One of the men who had tried to beat the crap out of me earlier, slapped me on the back, and offered to buy me a drink. Of course, I refused, as I needed to get moving again immediately after I talked to Atma. Erika was still being held against her will, and, as always, I was more than willing to rescue her. 


	6. The search for the sanctuary

Atma was most thankful for my help, and told me that the merchants were ready to show their gratitude by offering their wares and services at lower rates. This was always a good thing in my opinion. Then, she said something that caught my attention. Jehryn, the sultan and lord of Lut Gholein wanted to see me. I thought it was something like a large reward of gold and passage east via ship, but I was disappointed.  
He said to me," I have heard of your many deeds of your skill and bravery, druid. I feel that I can trust you with something I have been. hesitant to speak of. My advisor, Drognan, and I have concluded that the dark wanderer that passed through here was Diablo himself!"  
I half-yelled," Diablo! Are you sure? Do you know where he was going?"  
"He said something about looking for the tomb of Tal Rasha. Alas, though. I cannot tell you where the tomb is. No one even knows if it actually exists"  
"Damn it. It looks like he escaped me again. Now I'm even further behind"  
"You seem very anxious to find the lord of terror. May I ask why?"  
"Sorry Jehryn. I can't tell you exactly why. What I can tell you though is that he has taken someone very precious to me. I'll see you later" I turned around, and walked back to the tavern. I had time to have a few drinks, and get some more information, as I wasn't going anywhere until I knew more about this tomb of Tal Rasha.  
For about half an hour, I asked different people about the tomb, but, each time, it was the same answer of ignorance. I was beginning to give up hope. The bar was closing, so I decided to retire to the desert rain. Elzix had graciously offered me a free room for as long as I needed it for slaying Radament.  
A week passed, and nothing had changed. I was growing bored, and rather restless. Of course I knew that Diablo and his brothers were mocking me from a distance. I could feel the evil slowly closing in on Lut Gholein, and I was powerless to stop it. Yeah, you'd be pretty frustrated too.  
A few days later, I found something in my personal stash. It was the scroll that had given me a huge welt between my eyes. The one that was written in nothing but gibberish. So, I took it to Cain, and asked him to decipher it.  
He said that it the horodric scroll that explained the imprisoning of Baal, the lord of destruction, within the soul of a mag, Tal Rasha. And that his tomb could be found in a portal from a mystical place called the arcane sanctuary. At last, a way to get back on Diablo's trail. However, he could probably be on his way to Tal Rasha's tomb so I needed to get moving. Cain told me to find someone named Drognan, who, as he said, had an idea where the arcane sanctuary.  
He told me that Lut Gholein's palace occupied the site of an ancient Vizjerei fortress. The Vizjerei were members of the horodrim that specialized in elemental magic. Anyway, two of their mages, Horazon and Bartuc practiced demonic magicks. However, they had different views on how best to utilize demons. Horazon thought that you could only use the full potential of a demon by chaining it and bending it to your will while Bartuc wanted the demons as allies. In my opinion, they were both pretty fucked up.  
Bartuc died not long after the binding of Baal within Tal Rasha while Horazon went into self-imposed exile, and, here comes the good part, built a sanctuary that warped the very fabric of reality so that he could use demons as slaves and never fear the inevitable wrath of hell. Pretty sneaky, eh? Drognan went on to say that the sanctuary could be under the palace, and that Jehryn had had a fair few troubles with exceedingly large quantities of demons swarming up to the surface. When he told me this, I was wondering why Lut Gholein's population had not been notified of such danger.  
I thanked Drognan and went to Jehryn to see if I could gain entry to the palace.  
I said," Jehryn, Drognan told me what was going on here, and I very much doubt that your guards will be able to hold off those things for much longer. Let me inside here, and I'll rip em a new one for no charge"  
"Rip them new ones? What in the world are you talking about? Well, your deal is hard to turn down, and I have heard that you defeated Andariel.. All right, you may enter, but be very careful druid. My men have said that it is easy to get surrounded"  
"You shouldn't worry about me. But if what I think is down is down there, we could be in real trouble," I said, walking to the stairwell leading into the harem, and later, into the palace cellar where Jehryn was having demon problems.  
"Which is?"  
"Horazon's arcane sanctuary" 


	7. All hell breaks loose

I entered the vacant harem, and, surprisingly, everything looked normal. Maybe Drognan was pulling my leg by telling me that there were demons down here? Not likely. I went down another floor, and saw bodies everywhere, demon and human. It was utterly disgusting. Some had teeth marks on their skin that were too big to be human while others appeared to torn limb from limb. Whatever demons did this had to be enormously strong. Quickly, I called for two wolves and a few ravens to give me a little help before I went on.  
Just as I went down another staircase into the palace cellar, I heard a distinct growling noise that wasn't one of my animals. I drew my sword, and prepared for a fight. That was good because the second I came to level ground, a huge black skinned, red-eyed demon threw it self at me. I was able to side step its mad lunge, and quickly severed its spine with a stabbing motion to the neck. You see, that was a mistake because its friends, about a hundred other demons, weren't too happy about that. Everything from little dolls wielding steak knives to enormous four armed swordsmen came at me. I used my nature magic to great effect. Volcanoes, tornadoes, and even huge masses of molten rock came from me, destroying anything in their path. Even so, many survived, and gave me a real fight. The four armed swordsmen were particularly nasty while the little possessed dolls were a mere annoyance as they didn't have the strength to break my armor, and usually went down with a good solid kick.  
The battle lasted about forty minutes, and wore me out. Demons with their heads cut off, limbs cut off, or with huge gashes in their skin laid all around me. Some even had teeth marks from my wolves, and others had their eyes pecked out from the flock of ravens I had summoned. A few bottles of red and white lie around me dropped by the dying demons. I looked at a red bottle, and wondered if it was poison. But, I was thirsty to no end, so I took a gulp. It not only quenched my thirst rather effectively, but, rather surprisingly, it healed the multiple wounds had incurred. I took a drink from the small whitish test tube bottles, and found that I was no longer tired by any manner of speaking.  
I smiled and whispered," Hm. Health and stamina potions. I love these things" It was good that I was now fresh again because another enormous wave of demons came at me, and looked a little annoyed that I had killed their friends.  
I didn't even waste my time with this wave, and just took care of the ones that were in my way. I fought and fought and fought until, before I knew it, I went down a couple of floors and was standing before a large portal with an arch of what looked like bone. It looked like I had found what I was looking for. Quietly, I stepped through, but I still had no idea what was coming for me in the tomb of Tal Rasha. 


	8. I hate goat demons

When I stepped through the portal, I was met with a cold tingling sensation. It was as if my body was trying to destroy itself and keep itself in one piece at the same time. I came out a moment later, and saw a place that could not, would not, and shouldn't exist. The arcane sanctuary. It was like a space station suspended in space. White marble paths were the only things separating me from utter oblivion. Stars orbited around the outer edges of the sanctuary and everywhere I looked, there was some sort of object that should not exist. Things like pillars that shot out lightning, some sort of waypoint alter, and, oh yeah, that horde of red goat demons rushing at me with axes in hand. Maybe I should just forget that last one. Aw, crap. They saw me.  
Well, I just took care of a whole bunch of goat demons. I hate goat demons. You'd think that they'd bleat when they die, but no. They MOO!! For god's sake, they moo! I hate goats that moo! . . Sorry.  
Well, anyhow, I'm riding on the back of a grizzly bear I summoned. He is enormously strong, and doesn't seem to mind. I tell you, this place is incredible. This Horazon guy must have been some kind of sorcerer to do all of this. It's like an entire different dimension. I've seen no other demons around. I'm thinking that those were all that were left as the rest were killed by yours truly back in the palace cellar. Yeah, not likely. I know. Wait a minute. Is that Horazon over there? I'm going to close up now, and go talk to him.  
That crazy bastard! When I tried to talk to him, he blasted me with an ice spell directly in my face. Needless to say, he's dead now. I'm starting to think that that wasn't Horazon. He was too weak to be a sorcerer of great renown. I'm looking through Horazon's journal. There's a passage here that is kind of interesting. I'll write it down.  
"Seekers of the tomb of Tal Rasha will find it through the portal. But know that the six glowing symbols recorded here in my arcane sanctuary are the signs of the six false tombs. The missing seventh sign marks the tomb of Tal Rasha, and Baal, the lord of destruction. Of the horodrim, Tal Rasha may be called the foremost.." Then, it goes on to describe the history of the horodrim, how they fell apart due to their pride, and even goes into some of the nature of the prime evils. Wait a second. My name is listed here. I'm sure as hell going to write this down.  
"A man, known as Cloudyous should have been able to defeat the prime evils in combat. However, most of his strength was lost when he fused with a boy named Greg. And he could not do it alone. His heart gave him strength, but not enough. Three of his greatest allies are the only ones who can help him defeat Diablo, the lord of terror. A young girl, who's strength of heart can defeat any demon, his best friend, a person of great will, and his father, a man of great strength. Together they can defeat Diablo. Only together..." the rest of the page has been torn out. This is incredible. It's like the game is changing itself to fit me. How could it do something like this? It's just a goddamn game!! A portal opened right behind me. I assume it leads directly into the tomb of Tal Rasha. If I'm right, Diablo could already be there. I gotta move. 


	9. This could get messy

I'm inside the tomb. I've been following two people for a couple of minutes now. One guy is dressed in a black robe while the other looks like some sort of penniless hobo. They're entering a huge room of some sort, and the guy in the robe is screaming for some reason. This guy is weird. Now, he's just moving on like nothing happened.  
I can see Tal Rasha. He is bound to some sort of pillar with symbols all over it. It seems that flames are everywhere due to the battle between Tal Rasha and Baal. The guy in the cloak is moving forward, and is trying to pull out the stone. I'm going to close up now. I've got to stop him!  
The archangel Tyreal lashed out with on of the tentacles on his back, grabbed the guy in the black robes' wrist, and said in an echoing deep voice," Stop! The creature contained herein shall not be released. Not even by you." The stranger lunged at Tyreal, and started to beat him to a pulp. I had to do something, so I ran in, and swung my sword with all my might to knock the man off Tyreal.  
"You alright?" I asked.  
"Indeed. I'll deal with him. You find somewhere to hide until it's over. This could get messy"  
"I'm not going to..."  
"Go!" he screamed. How could I argue with an angel? Especially in a time like this. I retreated back near the entrance, and leaned against the stone frame, crossing my arms. A few minutes later, I noticed the hobo crossing the bridge to where Tal Rasha was suspended. He placed his hand on the stone imbedded in the demon's chest, and started to pull. I yelled for Tyreal's attention, but there was no way for him to get there in time. I had to help. I ran at the hobo, intending to knock him away, but, just as I got there, the stone came free. Tal Rasha, or should I say, Tal Rasha/ Baal, broke the bonds, and batted me away through a wall. Tyreal knew that Baal had been freed, and tried to fight them both. But, even he could not stand against such odds for long. His sword was yanked from his hands by one Tal Rasha/ Baal's tentacles, leaving him defenseless.  
I focused my power within my very soul, and concentrated on the form of a bear. My form grew, and became covered with brownish hair. My hands turned to paws, and my fingers became claws. My face became even whiter than it already was, and lengthened to a snout of sorts. This was my werebear form.  
I rushed at Tal Rasha with fury, and sank my claws into his flesh. Before I could react, a thousand tentacles hit me all over. When it was over, I was bleeding from multiple areas. I knew I couldn't win this battle, so, what else could I do? I ran. 


	10. Short? Yes Good? Most likely

I'm back in Lut Gholein. It was miracle that I escaped form both the lord of destruction and the lord of terror. The guy in the black robes was Diablo. Tyreal told me so when he visited me a while ago. He also told me that when Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal's soul stones are set right beside each other, free of evil, they can send me back from where I came. I went to see Jehryn while back to get passage east and to fill him in one what happened. He was most upset when he heard that Baal and Diablo were free, but he didn't really blame me 100%. He's a prick.  
Well, he did give me passage east in ship belonging to a man named Meshif. He's a good guy with a kind heart. He lives in Kurast, which is where I'm heading. Mephisto, so it is said, was bound at the heart of the temple there by the horodrim over two hundred years ago. Diablo and Baal are surely going there, so I told him to find the fastest route. I'm not going to write until I find the temple. See you all then. 


	11. The final battle

I'm in. At last; I'm inside the temple. I can smell the evil in here, or is that merely the scent of decaying bodies. I mean, there are dead people everywhere in here. Mephisto's feng shuay really sucks. I'm not sure if I spelled feng shuay right, but you know what I mean, right? I've gone down two floors, and haven't found a single demon to fight. Maybe the three bastards are giving them a break or something? Whatever the hell they're doing, I'm sure as hell glad they aren't coming after me.  
I'm in the deepest parts of the temple now. Holy shit! The three prime evils evil are all gathered together before this huge ass lake of blood. Mephisto sure is ugly for a floating corpse. The guy in the robes is doing something. Blood is flying off him everywhere, and. is he growing? He sure is. Spikes are coming out of his back, and horns are growing out of his head. His skin's turning red too. This guy is now official scary. He's walking towards the gate of hell that the other opened a minute ago here. I have to stop him. There's not other way to ensure Erika is safe except to kill this bastard. That's what I'm going to do. I may die, so this journal serves as my last F.U to the prime evils.  
I ran at Diablo, sword in hand, and plunged it into his skull. He didn't like that, so he back fisted me. He missed, but his brother's are coming after me now. I back flipped over Tal Rasha's head, and punched him into back of the skull. Mephisto aimed a spell at me, and fired. I crouched down low to the ground so that it would go right over me. Surprisingly, Baal was standing right behind me ready to kill me when that spell hit him directly in the head. I'm not sure if he's dead or not, but I can't afford to take my eyes off Diablo or Mephisto to check. Quickly, I ran behind Diablo to get me sword only to be hit in the head by his tail. This knocked me flat, leaving me wide open to take the full force of Diablo's lightning inferno.  
Just as it left his hands, I rolled out of the way so that it would hit Mephisto instead. Diablo was confused for a minute to where I went, so I ripped my sword out of his head, and raked it down his back. He seemed to be very pissed off at me.  
He said in a deep, menacing voice," Yes. He is the one I pulled from the other world. I know why you're here. You want the girl. Mephisto. Bring the girl here"  
"As you wish, brother." Mephisto preformed an arcane gesture, and Erika appeared out of thin air. She was still alive, thank god, but if I didn't do something, she wasn't going to be for very long. Diablo used his power, to slam her up against the wall.  
I yelled," Stop it! You're hurting her!"  
"You want me to stop? You'll just have to make me"  
"I sure as hell will, you bastard!" I sank my sword in Diablo's chest so that it stuck out the back.  
He growled," That tickles" Then, he slammed his claws into the ground where I was. I had enough sense to back off so that I wouldn't get smashed. Diablo's hand lit up again, and Erika screamed out in pain.  
"I said stop it!"  
"No. Mephisto, I leave her to you. Do whatever you will with her."  
"I'm going to enjoy this," the lord of hatred said. He used his power to hurt Erika even more. By now, I was seeing red, so I threw my sword a little to the right of Diablo.  
It sailed past him, and he laughed," Nice throw if you're aiming for the wall"  
"Did I get him?" I asked my self. Diablo turned around to holler out a warning to Mephisto, but my sword sank into his chest before Diablo's voice could reach him. Mephisto cried out in pain and sank to the floor.  
Diablo, showing a considerable amount of passion for a fellow demon, ran to his side, and asked," Mephisto! Are you alright?" However, Mephisto was already dead. I jumped up to Erika, and let her down. I moved her to a safer area on to other side of the room. Diablo yelled," You wretch! You slaughtered my brothers!"  
"Damn right I did! I'm glad I did it too!" You see, saying this was a huge mistake. Diablo took Mephisto's soulstone that was imbedded in his skull, and plunged it into his chest. Now, he was twice as powerful, and I had a real fight on my hands. My moved to Tal Rasha's fallen form, grabbed the soul stone from his chest, and placed his in his forearm. This was gonna get ugly. I dashed to Mephisto, and snatched my sword out from the wound. I turned to face the lord of terror, and found that he was right there in front of me. He bashed me through a wall, making me cough up some blood from a ruptured lung. Before I was able to down a health potion, he ran up to me, and ripped his finger right through the right side of my torso. This was my good side. The one with the lung that still functioned. I was having a real problem breathing then. I barely had any strength left. At this point, Erika woke up, and looked toward the battle.  
I blocked Diablo's twin hand claw swipe with what strength I had left, and held them there for a moment or so. I felt my injured torso start to give out, and my sword lowered slightly because of the massive pressure. Diablo smirked slightly, and took his hand away. He used his free hand to charge a spirit blast in Erika's direction.  
I bellowed," Erika! Run for it, now!" He let the blast fly, and destroyed everything between him and the wall. including Erika. I felt tears welling up, and my strength returning because of my rage. I transformed into a werewolf, and bit him using the "hunger" spell that took health and mana instead of actually damaging him. My wounds healed up, and my spirit power returned.  
I poured fire energy into my claws, and slashed Diablo with all my strength. He blocked it, but it slice right through his block. He fell to his knees, and then into two pieces. I returned to my original form, and pounded the floor. I, a druid, couldn't protect anyone at all. The people at the rogue encampment, the people at Lut Gholein, everyone I knew had all suffered because of me. I couldn't do anything.  
Then, Tyreal crashed through the roof.  
"Greetings.. Mortal, you have defeated the three prime evils. Why do you weep so?"  
"Because. I couldn't protect the one I loved most. Diablo killed her"  
"But. what about the soulstones? You can go back to your own world with them"  
"Keep em. I don't want them. They can't bring Erika back. Tyreal, keep these. Never let them fall into a demon's hands again. And as for me." I raised my sword, and plunged it through my chest. I felt the world going black, and, with my last breath, I said," I love you, Erika. I always will" Then, I died. That's it. That's my story. I never told Erika how I felt about her in real life. I didn't even tell her in the game. She suffered because of me. I am a failure. And I really do love someone named Erika. If she ever reads this, she'll know. She'll know how I really feel about her.  
  
The end of my story. 


	12. Dead NOT!

Am so very sorry. I thought about that ending a lot, seeing as a lot of the reviews I got said it sucked, and I'm inclined to agree. It really does suck. So, I'm introducing a new char, seeing as I have a new girlfriend now and she's agreed to let me write about her in this. I'm planning on adding a few more chapters to the journal, so sit back, relax, get some popcorn, and...well....yeah...  
  
How long I remained, bleeding there, I had no idea. It was total darkness. Hell, it wasn't even that when I think about it. The only thing I can really say is...it was the absence of feeling. It could've been death, but maybe it was just me being so destroyed emotionally that I couldn't feel anything anymore. When I finally woke up, I was lying on a bedroll, a small fire burning several meters away. Sitting next to this fire was a girl so beautiful, in my eyes that I forgot about Erika, and her fate, for a few moments. But, at the time, I could barely even move, much less think critically. So, again, I fell into a deep sleep.  
When I finally healed, the process helped along by one of those neat little vines that ate dead things, I had a little chat with her. She was most relieved that I was still alive, and told me her name was Julie. She seemed attractive to me, but in a different way than Erika. I guess I liked her for her personality and how much we had in common, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. Heh. Imagine my shock when I learned that she was part demon. At first, I thought she was gonna attack and try to eat me alive, which my sword had other ideas, but she just wanted to help and be near me so she knew I was ok. Her words seemed honest at the time... but I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "How can he know? He was almost killed a few pages back!" Trust me. I'm a druid. Druids know things like this.  
Eventually, I had to set out. Baal, lord of destruction and all around asshole, had managed to escape me and was attacking the northern regions of sanctuary, which I had only recently learned, was the continent I had existed on for the past few weeks. Again to my surprise, she wanted to come with me, if not to make sure I was ok, then to watch my back. And who was I to refuse such a request?  
I have traveled for weeks now, and Julie seems...very agile and powerful. I'd even use the word endurant in some occasions, but lovely in almost all of them. She is sooooo much better than Erika, and I think.... I'm starting to love her. I just hope she isn't taken away from me like Erika was...but, then again; did I ever really have her in the first place?  
We've have just arrived in Harrogath, one of the last bastions of power standing between Baal, and this artifact called the "world stone". What said world stone does, I have no clue, but what I do know is that it's big, it's shiny, and it could be worth alot. But, at the moment, I have bigger concerns. This town's council of elders sacrificed themselves to create a ward around this place. That's really the only thing packs of ravenous demons from tearing Harrogath apart like a week old tissue.  
Well, I've just spoken to the blacksmith, a building with teeth and arms named Larzuk, about getting some new weaponry, seeing as my great sword was broken kicking Diablo's ass. Managed to get a wicked looking crystal sword and the shield taken from the battered corpse of a mummy. Surprisingly, it still has a good finish on it, and is strong as all hell. But, as I was walking away from him, he said something about a siege, and some dude named Shenk the overseer.  
  
...Shenk? Did his mom really name him that? 


End file.
